Collections tool

The Weaviate Cloud (WCD) Collections tool makes it easy for developers and non-technical users to create, manage, and delete collections.

Use the tool to configure a new collection, specify a vectorizer module and add collection properties.

Open a collection

The collections tool is available for collections that are hosted in Weaviate Cloud.

1. To begin, select the Collections tool from the left sidebar ( 1).

2. The Clusters panel lists the clusters that are available.

3. Select a cluster from the list to create a new collection or to see the collections that are already in the cluster (2 ).

4. Click on the View details button to check the collection config or on the Explore data button to view collection objects ( 3).

Inspect a collection in Weaviate Cloud.

If you don't see any available clusters, select the Clusters option from the left hand menu and follow the steps to create a new cluster.

Create a collection

Create collections with sample data

Create collections with sample data

1. Open the Weaviate Cloud console.
2. Select the Collections tool from the left sidebar.
3. Click on the New Collection button.
4. Click the Create sample collection button to configure and create a collection with sample data.
5. Choose the sample dataset you wish to use.
6. Finish the collection creation process.

Create collections with CSV/Excel data

The Weaviate Cloud (WCD) Import tool allows you to easily upload data from a CSV file into a new Weaviate collection. The tool guides you through selecting your cluster, configuring the collection, mapping CSV columns to Weaviate properties, and then automatically imports the data.

For this guide, we will use the following import.csv file:

import.csv

id,product_name,price,description
1,"Laptop",1200.00,"High-performance laptop with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD."
2,"Mouse",25.00,"Wireless optical mouse with ergonomic design."
3,"Keyboard",75.00,"Mechanical keyboard with RGB backlighting."

Create collections with CSV/Excel data

1. Open the Weaviate Cloud console.
2. Select the Collections tool from the left sidebar.
3. Click on the New Collection button.
4. Click on Create new collection and select the Upload CSV or Excel option.
5. Click the Browse files button to select the CSV/Excel files from your computer.
6. Choose a name for the collection. Optionally add a description and update the default settings if necessary.
7. Select which columns to import as object properties into the collection.
8. Configure property names, descriptions and data types. Also, choose which properties will be vectorized.
9. Finish the collection creation process.

Create a custom collection

This allows you to create an empty collection which can then be populated programmatically.

Create custom collections

1. Open the Weaviate Cloud console.
2. Select the Collections tool from the left sidebar.
3. Click on the New Collection button.
4. Click on Create new collection and select the Configuration for any data format option.

Edit the General section

Use the General section for collection-wide settings:

1. Name the collection
2. Enable multi-tenancy
3. Set a default vectorizer

General collection settings.

Name the collection

The collection name must begin with a capital letter.

The name can only contain letters, numbers, and the underscore (_) character. Spaces are not allowed.

Enable multi-tenancy

Multi-tenant collections are useful if you have multiple users or need data isolation. By default, collections are single tenant. Set the Multi-tenancy toggle to enable multi-tenancy.

Set a default vectorizer

Set a vectorizer for the collection. Weaviate uses the default vectorizer when you import unvectorized data and when Weaviate queries external APIs that require vectorized inputs.

The Vectorizer setting is a drop-down list. After you select a vectorizer, the editor expands to let you configure the model. The tool only shows the configuration options that are relevant for the vectorizer that you select.

Switch the Vectorize collection name toggle if you want to include the collection name in the vector embedding.

Edit the Properties section

Use the Properties section to fine-tune individual properties in your collection.

Add properties to the collection

Enter property names into the properties editor.

The property names must begin with a lowercase letter.

The names can only contain letters, numbers, and the underscore (_) character. Spaces are not allowed.

Properties edit section.

Configure additional details

Some property types can be fine-tuned. When additional configuration is possible, the editor shows a gear wheel next to the Filterable toggle.

To update these additional settings, click on the gear wheel, then select the configuration options in the pop-up window.

Properties additional details edit section.

Configure nested properties

The Object property type can have nested sub-properties. To add nested properties, follow these steps:

1. Name the property.

2. Set the type to Object. The editor displays an Edit button.

3. Click the Edit button.

Properties additional details edit section.

When you finish adding nested properties, click the collection name to return to the collection editor.

Delete a property

To delete a property, click the trashcan icon next to it.

Modify a collection

To modify a collection, first select the collection you want to edit.

To add a new top-level property to the collection, enter the name and type in the editor. Update additional configuration details if the property type supports them.

Modify a collection in Weaviate Cloud.

note

You can add new properties to an existing collection, but you cannot change the data type or vectorizer configuration of existing properties once they are created.

Delete a collection

Once a collection is deleted, it cannot be restored. The collection schema and all of the collection objects are deleted from the cluster. This operation cannot be undone.

To delete a collection:

1. To begin, select the Collections tool from the left sidebar ( 1).

2. The Clusters panel lists the clusters that are available.

3. Select a cluster from the list to create a new collection or to see the collections that are already in the cluster (2 ).

4. Click on the trashcan icon to delete the collection ( 3).

5. Enter the collection name in the text box to confirm, then press Delete to remove the collection.

Delete a collection in Weaviate Cloud.

Additional considerations

Weaviate collection schemas are highly configurable and can be tuned in many ways. Some schema elements are modifiable after you create the collection, but many properties cannot be modified. For additional details, see Collection definition.

Further resources

• Reference: Collection definition
• Starter guide: Collection definitions (schemas)

Support & feedback

For help with Shared Cloud and Dedicated Cloud, contact Weaviate support directly to open a support ticket. To add a support plan, contact Weaviate sales.

If you have any questions or feedback, let us know in the user forum.

Technical questions

If you have questions feel free to post on our Community forum.

Documentation feedback

Leave feedback by opening a GitHub issue.